The Pacific Section’s Young Professionals Special Interest Group isn’t letting the industry decline get us down. On the contrary, it’s the reason we’re ramping up.
As a group, we realized this is the time to get even more involved and to stay as active as possible. We are getting all of our Pacific Section YP social media connected, becoming more reachable than ever. Our Pacific Section YP group can now be found on LinkedIn and Facebook, with Twitter and Instagram coming soon.
And, of course, there are in-person events, which still have the greatest impact.
We recently held a successful networking event at the Temblor Brewing Company in Bakersfield, Calif. There were about 35 people in attendance from all over California, and even a few Rocky Mountain Section Members who were in town.
Attendees came with a wide variety of experience levels, from those with just a few years in industry, to those newly in transition, current interns and even proactive students in their last year of graduate classes. They all had an opportunity to engage in discussions with a Q&A panel of experienced industry geologists, including a licensed professional geologist. The participants and panelists brought questions and perspectives from several companies and schools, including California Resources Corporation, Gente Oil, Chevron and several AAPG student chapters.
The topics of discussion focused largely on the current downturn and the economic climate of the industry.
The opportunity to hear the more seasoned panelists’ experiences with industry slumps helped ease some of the worry of the younger attendees and provided a glimmer of hope that the industry will ultimately persevere.
Bakersfield, like many other cities, has been noticeably affected by lower commodity prices, with many of the resident companies reducing staff over the past year. As a result, many in the industry have had to better prepare and adapt to an uncertain future.
The greatest over-arching message conveyed by the panel was to stay connected and involved with local societies, even when the industry is at a high point, because friends and colleagues are those connections that could one day be your link to a successful career. You can find all of the detailed questions and responses from that event at www.Facebook.com/groups/PSAAPGYPS.
The Pacific + Rocky Mountain: Joint Section Meeting is coming soon. It will be Oct. 2-5 in Las Vegas. The Pacific Section YP group is proud to be a sponsor for the meeting this year. We will be hosting a Happy Hour Mixer, as well as offering registration fee assistance to Pacific Section YPs.
For more information on the Joint Meeting, visit www.PSAAPG.org/2016convention, or email the Pacific Section YPs.